*Mama Tina’s Gumbo, the popular stand run by Tina Knowles at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, was temporarily closed on March 16 after health inspectors responded to complaints of food poisoning.
SandraRose.com reports that one woman reported developing C. difficile, a bacterial infection causing severe colitis, after eating gumbo. She described her symptoms as including vomiting, chills, nausea, fever, and “throwing up blood.”
Inspectors uncovered serious food handling violations upon reviewing the stand’s operations. The gumbo had been made at an off-site location, stored in non-food grade orange buckets, and frozen at a facility that lacked proper licensing before being transported to a refrigerated trailer at the rodeo grounds. Once on-site, inspectors discovered thawed seafood marked “keep frozen” — and found no temperature logs or documentation to verify that food had been properly cooled and stored.
Authorities discarded all improperly stored food and issued several violations against the stand. Among the cited infractions were sourcing food from suppliers not listed on the approved permit, failing to document cooling times and temperatures, neglecting to mark date labels on foods held for more than 24 hours, and not maintaining frozen foods at the required frozen state.
Scroll to continue reading
Health officials worked with Knowles and her staff on the necessary corrective steps, and the stand was permitted to reopen the next day, March 17, following an inspection that confirmed all food in the freezer trailer was properly frozen. Knowles also implemented a new practice of preparing gumbo fresh on-site each morning to maintain food safety standards.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo concluded on March 22.
Houston health inspectors listed at least 6 violations that led to the temporary closure of Mama Tina’s Gumbo at the Houston Rodeo, according to records obtained by @KPRC2, but thawed shrimp and crab marked “keep frozen” really stood out. pic.twitter.com/OIiICiR3Q9
— KPRC 2 Bryce Newberry (@KPRC2Bryce) March 23, 2026
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Mama Tina Knowles $30 Gumbo Sparks Mixed Reactions
Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE
